Portable electronic devices provided with switches having various configurations are known. In general, these switches are formed by a pressure device on which the user has to exert a certain level of pressure to activate the switch, for example, a keyboard key or a push-button. It is also known that a switch can be achieved without any exertion of pressure, for example, in the form of a capacitive sensor sensitive to the presence of a finger or a light sensitive optical sensor.
In particular, in the case of electronic cards, the use of a push-button incorporated into the card, which has an elastically deformable area for activating the switch, has certain drawbacks. First of all, the arrangement of these push buttons makes the cards more complex to manufacture. Next, the presence of an area that can be elastically deformed by a user's finger raises a problem if it is sought to obtain a flat card with a surface having no hollows or raised portions. Moreover, repeated activation of the switch tends to leave a slight depression in the area of the push button. Finally, a major problem arises from the fact that an electronic card, particularly a bank card, is generally carried on the person, so that pressure may be inadvertently and randomly exerted on the push button and may thereby inadvertently activate the switch. This may cause a problem of electric power consumption or disrupt the proper operation of an application of the electronic card.